8.4Great
Chromaphone 3 is a two-voice acoustic object synthesizer using physically modeled acoustic resonators by Applied Acoustics Systems.
Plugin comparison
Chromaphone 3 vs u-he Zebra 3
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
9.0Essential
u-he's cult-favorite synth, rebuilt from the ground up with spline-based wavetables, additive synthesis up to 1,024 partials, and an adaptive modular interface.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, u-he Zebra 3 comes out ahead (9.0). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Chromaphone 3 | u-he Zebra 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | €249 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.4 | 9.0 |
| Formats | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX Native, NKS, Standalone | CLAP, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Synthesis | Two-voice multitimbral, based on physically modeled acoustic resonators | — |
| Resonator types | Eight: beam, marimba, open tubes, closed tubes, string, drumhead, plate, membrane | — |
| Factory library | 1,090+ presets (421 new plus 676 remastered Chromaphone 2 sounds) | — |
| Effects | Reverb, delay, distortion, phaser, chorus, flanger, filters, equalizer, compressor, guitar amplifier, tremolo across three independent racks | — |
| Tuning | Supports Scala scale file format and reference note frequency tuning for microtonal music | — |
| RAM | Less than 256 MB per instance | — |
| Type | — | Modular wavetable / additive synthesizer |
| Partials | — | Up to 1,024 (additive) |
| Formats | — | CLAP, VST3, AU, AAX (macOS / Windows / Linux) |
| Released | — | April 2026 |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.